The words (I AM) itself didn't make sense, nor did the sun, the moon, and the star. Is this some sort of code or just a delusional idea?
Shan said "In any case, no one knows. For now, let's just live, I just want to share with you this interesting idea for fun." He slightly laughed, nervously, as if he was afraid of judgment from me and others that he might sound crazy.
I knew he was serious about this, I shouldn't made it sound lightly. Therefore I pat him on the back "You might be right, for now, let's just live and see what is going on, haha."
There was a moment of silence, meanwhile, Stella was sitting alone looking at the dawn until I noticed Ginevra and Setsuna were heading her way.
Out of a sudden, Bridget raised his voice, with a mild laugh "What about the prophet? If the divine judgment exists, then they are probably wide awake right now ."
Stella who sat on a nearby bench responded to his question "Maybe they are meant to not be publicly revealed and work behind the shadows until the right time comes?"
"That is a good way to put it...." Bridget said with contemplation.
"Anyways, let's go get our stuff and return to sector 2," I said to everyone who was going to leave today.
Abruptly, Stella stood up from the bench and said with a serious tone "Everyone, I have something to announce to you."
I already knew what was on her mind, as well as everyone else who was prepared for this moment. We knew she needed her breakthrough and it was time for her to truly shine in the world, after all, she was destined to be a star.
"We already know!" Setsuna said with a sigh, she continued "You are leaving the band right?"
Stella didn't say anything, she just lightly nodded.
"Don't worry, we understand your reason." Said, Setsuna.
Ginevra smiled, and commented, "I am sure you will achieve what you want, go and do it!"
Shan also expressed his encouragement "You have both the strategy and emotional intelligence to achieve what you set your mind to."
Bridget added, flirtyly "And you are also beautiful hehe."
Suddenly Ginevra stood up from the bench, headed over to Bridget, and struck him in the head, perhaps as a way to warn him to watch his tongue and his mind.
"Damn it! I just recovered..." Bridget groaned in pain as he rubbed his head.
Funnily, I could imagine a star spinning around his head. Nonetheless, I didn't know what to say to Stella, but I would like to encourage her as well.
"I am sure, you are going to thrive beyond the up and down in life," I said with a smile.
She smirked and said, "Rare of you to encourage me."
I rubbed the back of my neck and looked away, am I shy?
A few moments later, we returned to the garage. Packed our stuff into the back of Setsuna's SUV, meanwhile, Stella put on her mask and hoodie as she hopped onto her hover bike and packed her stuff into the cargo box on the right side of the bike.
Before I entered the vehicle, I waved goodbye to Bridget and Ginevra. They waved back at me, even though Bridget had a big smile on his face. I could tell he wasn't sure what he would do in the future, I knew he was the kind of guy who would always hide his problem underneath a smile.
"Take care, Einsamer. When I have found an opportunity for our band to perform again, I will let you know." Bridget said with an energetic tone, with a thumbed up and wide smile.
I replied, "Take care as well, I will return when I have some free time."
After that I looked at Ginevra, she smiled with a subtle nod and I returned my nod to her, and then I shifted my attention to look at Stella. Now that I think about it, I hadn't asked her planned after leaving this vibrant city too.
"Where are you going next?" I asked.
"There are many plans that I canceled just to be in this band, so now I will have to resume my schedule with the Galactic entertainment production." Said, Stella.
"Just to be safe, you can follow Setsuna's SUV," I said.
Stella laughed, and stated, "No, I am going full speed."
A voice that commanded attention could be heard "Her Zvesda 3 is faster than even my flying car, but I am always up for a race." Said, Setsuna as she crossed her arms with a smirk, gazing at Stella.
"I don't have that kind of time, see you guys later!"
How about her coffee shop? I almost forget to ask her.
"Wait, will you hire someone to work for your coffee shop?"
"No, I will spend my time looking after my grandmother." She replied, and continued "I am going now, opening the door for me."
For some reason, it felt like she was in a rush.
I had always known that Stella was a fiercely independent individual, even though her appearance was quite feminine. As she ignited her hover bike, it emitted a surprisingly quiet sound due to her use of the eco mode. Meanwhile, Bridget opened the metal door of the garage, causing it to slide upward and reveal the vibrant neon blue and pink lights of the street lamps. Adjacent to them, holographic advertisements were projected by a device attached to the wall along the road.
I also got into the black SUV and glanced out the window to see that Stella had already left. Her hover bike hovered and then ascended into the sky. As the vehicle slowly departed from the garage and took off, I gazed through the car's glass window at the holographic sky that now turned on again so the time was at night, filled with numerous stars and shooting stars in vibrant colors.
"Why did they suddenly decide to turn on the holographic sky?" Setsuna stated as she maneuvered the wheel of her car.
I couldn't help but wonder if I could become a guiding star for someone going through a difficult time, being a star shining without a worry and just being themselves was an ideal life for someone like me who didn't even know what I wanted.
Hundreds of islands are illuminated with their neon lights, despite the world seemingly heading in a negative direction. In this vibrant city, many people continued to embrace their carefree lifestyles, while others diligently worked to support their families.
It was as if they were pretending that nothing significant was happening, creating a sense of detachment from reality. Perhaps this was their way of coping with the unsettling events, by simply choosing to ignore them.
The vehicle traversed through the circular gate, alongside hundreds, if not thousands, of other vehicles. It seemed like the number of people leaving the vibrant city had significantly increased in just one day. It appeared that there were individuals who shared concerns about the events occurring on Zero Zone Island.
Inside the dome of the vibrant city, it remained perpetually night, with the lights only extinguishing as early morning approached. However, outside the dome, sunlight flooded the surroundings, revealing remnants of the previously ruined world.
After an hour, we arrived at Sector 2, and as we entered the dome, everything seemed exactly as before. The towering skyscrapers and the holographic sky that concealed the red sky remained unchanged. However, the real sun on the horizon was now visible, as the lower portion of the holographic sky had turned off, allowing the sunlight to shine through. Meanwhile, the upper section of the holographic sky remained activated, concealing the red sky above.
Meanwhile, Setsuna drove through the city toward the Divine Light cathedral, as the Divine Singa floating island could be seen with naked eyes surrounded by other tiny floating islands. Flew above the building of the island and eventually landed on the grass field near the gate of the cathedral. Before I left the flying vehicles, I asked Setsuna where she was going next.
She responded, "Drop Shan next, then I will return to my father's mansion."
"Take care then." I waved them goodbye.
Shan who sat in the second row nodded and reached out to grab my bag pack at the back of the van and handed it to me, after I took it then the door slid closed, afterward the black SUV levitated toward the sky once again, and caught a lot of attention by the nearby people who had a picnic or just sleep on the grass as they were staring at the holographic sky now looked at Setsuna's SUV.
Pretending to not notice their stared at me, I walked toward the gate of the cathedral. Arrived before the holographic gate entrance, I stepped forward as it scanned the Bio-Chip on my hand and allowed me to enter. Once again, it felt like I walked through a water wall without getting wet.
I was hoping to see Frederic, one of the security guards here but I hadn't seen him anywhere, I just hoped I could talk with him and ask him about my performance. Since I hadn't seen him anywhere, I immediately went back to my dorm. On the way there were many girls staring at me and giggling, I just ignored them. Nonetheless, I still overhead their conversation with each other.
"Isn't he the guitarist from Renegade 3?"
"Wow, I watched him yesterday. He is so handsome in real life!"
"Has Einsamer always been this handsome before?"
"I never know such a talented guy is actually an orphan like us! This gives me hope to achieve my dream too."
I was glad to know that our band reached this wider audience that even now these girls from the cathedral watch our live performance through the live stream.
After arriving at the male dorm, I walked through the passageway and stood before my room to scan the Bio-chip, by swiping my hand on the door handle. Once I heard a click sound, I opened the door and closed it once I entered my room.
I took a deep breath of fresh air and the cozy warmth of my room, finally, I could rest in peace not disturbed by anyone.
I switched my clothes to a more loose clothes to feel comfortable after I put my bag pack away, I took my rollable and bendable guitar out from my bag pack and took time to practice.
Now since I couldn't find coins anymore through the VR and AR version of TWOD and other virtual reality games, I must focus on being good at playing guitar so I could help my band reach a wider audience.
After spending 2 hours on practice, I took time to read a web novel and read various news on my tablet. One of the news mentioned a solar eclipse that was going to happen in the next week, it would be visible to most domes.
Later, I did a stretch and push-up. Then I took a shower and ordered Sushi from the delivered app, upon waiting for 10 minutes, I looked at the map that tracked the drone that delivered my food already in front of my dorm. Therefore I went out to get it and returned to my room, filled my stomach, and listened to music for hours straight until I fell asleep. I hope tomorrow will be an easygoing day for me.